Lentil and Farro Veggie Burgers

You can pretty much combine whatever non-meat ingredients you want, smoosh them into a patty, and fry or bake them ... and you have veggie burgers. Just make a list of ingredients that sound good to you, and go for it. Here's a start:

black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans
lentils
rice, quinoa, farro
mushrooms, beets
tofu
seeds, nuts
olives
cheese (ricotta, soft goat)

Mix in an egg or two, spices, greenery (fresh herbs and/or cooked greens like kale, chard, spinach), chopped onions, and enough bread crumbs to help hold it together, and that's it. It's always good to make extras to store in the freezer for quick lunches.

The following combination I came up with has a nice crunch/chewiness from the farro and sunflower seeds.

Lentil and Farro Veggie Burgers

1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/2 cup cooked farro
5 oz. sliced shiitake mushrooms, sautéed
1/4 cup small diced onion
1/4 cup kale, chopped and sautéed with minced garlic
1/2 tsp garam masala (or cumin)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
3/8 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 eggs
salt & pepper
fresh sage, thyme, parsley, chopped

Combine all ingredients, adding additional bread crumbs if needed, and form into small, thick patties. Remember to do your taste-testing before adding the eggs! It's helpful to refrigerate the patties for an hour or so.

Heat up some extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the patties until browning occurs on the bottoms, then flip and cook the other side until browned. I cooked mine for about 6 minutes per side, and I also covered the pan for most of the cooking time.

Makes 8 small, thick patties